50.ENG 101 Foundation English

Department of English
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Full Module Specification

Module Title/Course Name Foundation English
Module Code : ENG 101
Module Level :
Academic Year :
Module Lecturer : Nurjahan Khanam Esha
Contact Address:
Counseling Hour: Before or after class or by appointment
Module Credit 3
Pre Requisites :
Co Requisites :
Duration of Module :
Grading : As outlined in the University policy
Teaching Methodology Class room lecture, multimedia presentation
,discussion, group study, assignment,
presentation, and so on
Method of Evaluation Attendance =20

Continuous Assessment =20
Mid-term =30
Final =30
TOTAL =100
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Foundation English
The course has been designed in accordance with the syllabus of EUB for the students of the
Department of Law. The purpose of this course is to improve student‘s basic skills in English.
This course deals with reading and writing skills as well as grammar so that students can
express themselves in idiomatic way in English environment. The course offers ample
discussion on different aspects of English so that the young learners can get a definite view
about it.
Course Contents:
Week Module Lecture Topics/Module/Chapter
1 Module 1 1&2  Right form of verbs
2 Module 2 3&4  Transformation of sentences
3 Module 2 5&6  Transformation of sentences

 Class test on the chosen topics
4 Module 3 7&8  Paragraph writing
5 Module 4 9&10  Amplification writing
6 Module 5 11&12  Articles

 Class review
midterm
Week Topics/Module/Chapter
7 Module 6 13&14  Subject verb agreement
8 Module 7 15&16  Comprehension practice
9 Module 7 17&18  Comprehension Practice
10 Module 8 19&20  Letter writing
11 Module 9 21&22  Preposition and its uses
Module 10 23&24  Class test

12  Review of the whole syllabus and provide
necessary feedback as required.
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Foundation English (Module 01, Lecture 01 to 02)
Right form of verbs (Tense):
The topic Tense is discussed here from Cliff‘s TOEFL. So the content on Tense has been
directly taken from the book.
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Sample questions
Write down the appropriate form of verbs of the following sentences:

a) The sun _____ (rise) in the east.
b) Jenny entered the room when I ____(talk) over phone.
c) Honey _____(taste) sweet.
d) I______(see) Titanic three times.
e) I already ___(finish) my assignment.
Transformation of Sentences
Transform means changing sentence without changing its basic means.
Man is mortal.
Its transformation will be ―Man is not immortal‖
Here, look transformation can change its form, but it can‘t change its meaning. ―Man
is mortal‖ is an affirmative sentence and ―Man is not immortal‖ is negative.
The basic structure of negative and Interrogative sentence.
[Neg: Sub:+ A.V+ not +Verb +object] [Int: A.V + Sub: + Verb + Object]
Affirmative to Negative
Rule 1: If any affirmative sentence has alone or only for pointing to a person , then you have
to use none but instead of alone/only. i.e
a) Only god can help us
-None but God can help us.
b) King can help us alone.
-None but king can help us.
c) Only he can do it.
-None but he can do it.
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Rule 2: If any affirmative sentence has alone or only for pointing to a thing, then you should
use nothing but instead of alone/only. i.e
a) Only sweets can stop the boy.
-Nothing but sweets can stop the boy.
b) This letter can help us alone.
-Nothing but this letter can help us.
c) Only pencil nib has carbon.
-Nothing but pencil nib has carbon.
Rule 4: If any affirmative sentence has always, then never should be used instead of always.
ok? Besides the keyword should be antonym| i.e.
a) Della always loved Jim.
-Della never hated Jim.
b) We should always speak the truth.
-We should never tell a lie.
c) He always gets up late.
-He never gets up early.
Rule 5: If there is Must in an affirmative, then cannot but/cannot help should be used instead
of must. but for cannot help structure will be........sub cannot help+(verb+ing). i.e.
a) I must go there.
-I cannot but go there.
-I cannot help going there
b) You must tell the truth.
-You cannot but tell the truth.
-You cannot help telling the truth.
Rule 6: Affirmative sentence with as soon as can be transformed into negative like
below:
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If it is used in present/future tense, then structure...............
No sooner+A.V.+Sub+Ext.+than+principal clause.
But if it is for past tense, then structure.......................
No sooner+had+sub+V.P.P+ext.+than+principal clause.i.e
a) As soon as I see him, I will tell him the fact.
-No sooner do I see him than I will tell him the fact
b) As soon as I reach home, I shall meet my mother.
-No sooner do I reach him than I shall meet my mother.
c) As soon as she heard the news, she became senseless.
-No sooner had she heard the news than she became senseless.
d) As soon as the teacher came, the students stood up.
-No sooner had the teacher come than the students stood up.
Rule 7: If any affirmative sentence has many, then not a few and for a few, not many should
be used to make a negative sentence. i.e
a) He ate many apples.
-He didn‘t eat a few apples.
b) He takes a few loaves for breakfast.
-He doesn‘t take many loaves for breakfast.
c) They have many cows.
-They don‘t have a few cows.
Rule 8: In a negative for sometimes, not always is used. i.e
a) He sometimes comes here.
-He doesn‘t always come here.
Rule 9: Superlative degree should positive degree to make a negative........such as
a) Dhaka is the biggest city in Bangladesh.
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-No other city in Bangladesh is as big as Dhaka.
b) She is the most beautiful girl in the class.
-No other girl in class is as beautiful as she.
Rule 10: Besides Comparative should be changed into positive and positive should be
changed into comparative to make a negative sentence. i.e
a) Rana is taller than sam
-Sam is not as tall as Rana.
b) Sumi is as beautiful as Sopna.
-Sopna is not more beautiful than Sumi.
c) Salam is as strong as Hamid.
-Hamid is not stronger than Salam.
Assertive to Interrogative
Rule 1: To change an affirmative sentence to Interrogative one should follow the structure
below-
(To be verb + not/n‘t + Sub: + ext.) i.e
a) He is absent from the meeting
-Isn‘t he absent from the meeting?
b) We can do the work.
-Can‘t we do the work?
c) I was sincere to my duties.
-Wasn‘t I sincere to my duties?
Rule 2: To change a negative sentence to Interrogative one should follow the structure
below-
(To be verb + Sub: + ext.) i.e
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a) He is not absent from the meeting
-Is he absent from the meeting?
b) We can‘t do the work.
-Can we do the work?
c) I wasn‘t sincere to my duties.
-Was I sincere to my duties?
d) He is not a good student.
-Is he a good student?
e) He was not irresponsible.
-Was he responsible?
Rule 3: Without Auxiliary verb present/past Indefinite tense should be transformed like
this.......
present—Don‘t/doesn‘t + sub + Verb + ext. + ?
past—Didn‘t + Sub + Verb(present) + ext. + ? i.e
a) He plays football.
-Doesn‘t he play football?
b) They make baskets for living.
-Don‘t they make baskets for living?
c) Ratan likes to play all day long today.
-Doesn‘t Ratan like to play all day long today?
d) You played well yesterday.
-Didn‘t you play well yesterday?
e) He liked Tom & Jerry as a Cartoon.
-Didn‘t he like Tom & Jerry as a cartoon?
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Rule 4: Never should be ever and nothing should be changed into anything to make an
Interrogative sentence. i.e
a) I never take tea
-Do I ever take tea?
b) There is nothing for you to do here.
-Is there anything for you to do here?
c) He never talked with me like this
-Did he ever talk with me like this?
Rule 5: For everybody/everyone/all the structure should be-
Who + don‘t/doesn‘t/didn‘t + verb(present) + ext. + ?
a) All loves flowers.
-Who doesn‘t love flowers?
b) Everybody wishes to be happy
-Who doesn‘t wish to be happy?
c) Everyone hates a liar.
-Who doesn‘t hate a liar?
Rule 6: For (every+noun) sentence should be changed like this-----
Is there any + noun + who doesn‘t + verb + Ext.
a) Every man hates liar.
-Is there any man who doesn‘t hate liar?
b) Every man wishes to be happy
-Is there any man who doesn‘t wish to be happy?
c) Every book has an interesting part.
-Is there any book which doesn‘t have an interesting part?
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Rule 7: For Nobody/None/No one + sentence should be changed like thie----
Who + can/could + ext. +?
a) No one can do this?
-Who can do this?
b) Nobody could count my love for you.
-Who could count my love for you?
Rule 8: For (Introductory there) Assertive sentence will be interrogative like this----------
What/who + ext. + ?
a) There is no use of this law.
-What is the use of this law?
b) There is no man happier than Kamal
-Who is happier than Kamal? (for man)
c) There is nothing wrong with me
-What is wrong with me? (for things or anything but man)
Rule 9: For (It is no use) assertive sentence will start with (Is there any use)
a) It is no use memorizing answer for any exam.
-Is there any use of memorizing answer for any exam?
b) It is no use of knocking at the door now.
-Is there any use of knocking at the door?
Assertive to Imperative
Rule 1: To change an affirmative sentence to Imperative one should follow the structure
below-
(Present form of main verb + ext.) i.e
a) You should do the work
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-Do the work.
b) You speak the truth.
- speak the truth
c) You read the book.
-Read the book.
Note: To show courtesy or well behaviour add please or kindly before/after the sentence.
Rule 2: To change a negative Assertive sentence to Imperative one should follow the
structure below-
(Don‘t + verb(present form)+ ext.) i.e
a) You shouldn‘t go out.
-Don‘t go out.
b) You don‘t read at all.
-Don‘t read.
c) You shouldn‘t go there in this terrible time.
-Don‘t go there in this terrible time.
d) You shouldn‘t go there.
-Don‘t go there, please.
Rule 3: Assertive sentence with ‗Never‘ should be transformed like this.......
Never+ Verb(present form) + ext. + ? i.e
a) You should never tell a lie.
-Never tell a lie.
b) you should never look down upon the poor.
-Never look down upon the poor.
c) We shall never tell a lie
-Lets never tell a lie (First person)
Rule 4: If the subject is 1st or 3rd person then change should be following:
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Let+Objective form of subject+verb(present)+rest of the sentence
a) He plays football.
-Let him play football.
b) We should go out.
-Let us go out.
c) She sings a song.
-Let her sing a song.
Rule 5: If the subject is 1st or 3rd person and negative, then change should be following:
Let +Objective form of subject +not+ verb(present)+rest of the sentence
a) We shouldn‘t hate the poor.
-Let us not hate the poor
b) Nabanita doesn‘t tell a lie.
-Let not Nabanita tell a lie.
c) He should be warned.
-Let him be warned.
Note: If the object of let verb is Noun, then not is used before it and if it is pronoun, then not
is used after it.
Sample questions:
Transform the following sentences as directed:
a) We shouldn‘t hate the poor (imperative).

b) Only god can help us (negative).
c) It is no use memorizing answer for any exam (interrogative).
Class test
Class test on the chosen topics will be held.
Foundation English (Module 03, Lecture 07 & 08)
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Paragraph writing:
A paragraph writing include three important aspects and they are:
The Topic Sentence
A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; that is, it is usually the first
sentence in a formal academic paragraph. (Sometimes this is not true, but as you practice
writing with this online lesson site, please keep to this rule unless you are instructed
otherwise.) Not only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph, but, more
importantly, it is the most general sentence in a paragraph. What does "most general" mean?
It means that there are not many details in the sentence, but that the sentence introduces an
overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph.
The supporting details
When a reader reads a topic sentence, such as My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several
amazing natural features,a question should usually appear in the reader's mind. In this case,
the question should be like, "What are the natural features that make the place famous?" The
reader should then expect that the rest of the paragraph will give an answer to this question.
The Concluding sentence
In formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph which
summarizes the information that has been presented. This is the concluding sentence. You
can think of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence in reverse.
Sample paragraph on A Garment Worker
Persons working in a garments factory are garments workers. An ordinary garments worker
in our country leads very laborious life. His/her day starts very early in the morning and ends
at about 10 p.m. She/he starts for working place at about 7 am. She/he is to pass a long way
everyday to reach the factory. She/he goes to the factory on foot. Sometimes on the way to
the destination, she /he is teased with slang words from various corners. He/she is to tolerate
all bad comments. In the factory, he/she works in a congested room. There is no seat to sit
upon. She eats the poor lunch with her colleagues in the factory. Almost every day he/she
takes his/her lunch from home. She is given a break for half an hour. Within this time she
cannot take lunch from her house. She works in the factory for long hours till deep at night.
She likes working in a factory rather than in a household. She is used to do over working.
Though he/she gets very poor salary, she/he expends it very wisely. She/he leads very simple
life. In a word, a major portion of national income depends upon his/her hard work. So he/she
should have better opportunities in the factory and society to led better life.
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 Students will be asked to write paragraph on
Traffic jam
Mobile phone
Environment pollution and so on.
Sample question :
Write a paragraph on Traffic Jam
Amplification writing
 Amplification involves extending a sentence or phrase in order to further

elaborate, emphasize, or exaggerate certain points of a definition, description,
or argument.
 Amplification can involve embellishment or technical elaboration. Either way,
more information is being added.
 Amplification provides more information in order to strengthen an important
point in a speech.
 It serves to exaggerate certain statements which can underline comedic or
serious intentions. It emphasizes the persuasive aspects of an argument by
elaborating why exactly they should be considered.
 In creative writing, amplification draws attention to the most compelling,
vivid, or thought-provoking sections of a narrative.
 In general, amplification highlights what is most important.
Sample amplification on “A bad worker quarrels with tools"
A bad workman quarrels with his tools-- is a good proverb that says that when a man does not
know how to do his work properly, he blames his tools. A skilful and talented workman is
able to do his work professionally. He is able to cope with his duties properly and his clients
are satisfied with the results of his work. When one works hard and trains his skills
constantly, he becomes an expert in his craft. He is able to cope with solid amounts of work
in short terms. He knows how to do his work properly and he does it perfectly. Sometimes
the quality of work depends on tools, though it is not a problem if he is a master in his art. A
skilful and experienced workman is able to do his work properly even if he has poor-quality
tools at his disposal. An inexperienced or lazy workman who does not want to develop his
skills is not able to impress someone with the quality of his results. Most often bad workmen
are arrogant and they do not have enough courage to confess that their skills are poor. They
pretend to be experts in their field cheating others. When they fail in their work, they say that
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their failure is caused by poor-quality tools or their bad team. For example, an arrogant
soccer player accuses his teammates of unprofessionalism and says that they have lost their
game because of their poor skills. He does not say that he is a part of this team and his skills
are low too. One should remember that good results are achieved only with work hard.
Students will be asked to practise amplification writing on:
 Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

 The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
 Prevention is better than cure.
 Charity begins at home.
 A stitch in time saves nine.
 A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Sample question on amplification
Write an amplification on the following statement:
 Prevention is better than cure.
Article
The Indefinite Article – A / AN
We use A/AN with:
1. Singular nouns and the first time we refer to a person, animal or thing.
 a child
 an elephant
 a television
2. We don't use A/AN with possessive pronouns, demonstratives or cardinal numbers.
 My shirt is dirty.
 This car is expensive.
 One person is in the reception.
3. We use ONE (or more) instead of A/AN when the number is important.
 There is only one exit from the airport.
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What is the difference between A and AN?
A is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k etc).
 a book
 a table
 a clock
 a university (because the beginning of university sounds like YOU-niversity)
AN is used when the next word begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
 an apple
 an elephant
 an umbrella
 an hour (because the H is silent)
The Definite Article – THE
We use THE with:
1. A singular or plural noun when it is clear/obvious which person or thing we are talking
about.
 There is a lamp in my bedroom. (we mention the lamp for the first time)
 The lamp is next to the desk.
2. Anything which we identify immediately.
 We watched the new Brad Pitt movie last night.
3. Musical instruments (the violin, the guitar, the drums, the flute, the piccolo).
 She plays the piano.
4. Something that is unique or there is only one.
 the sun
 the moon
 the internet.
5. Names of rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges and deserts (always in capitals).
 The Mississippi River

 The Black Sea
 The Andes
 The Sahara Desert
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6. Directions (cardinal points).
 the west
 the south-east
 the north-west.
No Article
We use no article with:
1. When we refer to general ideas, plurals or uncountable nouns we do not use THE.
 Religion is an important issue. (NOT The religion is an important issue)

 Mexican food is spicy. (NOT The Mexican food is spicy).
2. Names of people, books and plays (unless it is part of the title).
 I have read Romeo and Juliet.
3. Towns, cities, states and countries.
 Cape Town
 Montana
 Vietnam
(Exceptions – The USA, The UK, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic, The Philippines).
4. Lakes, single islands, continents or mountains.
 Lake Victoria
 Jamaica
 Asia
 Mt Fuji
5. Planets
 Mars
 Jupiter
 Saturn
6. Sports or games
 soccer
 tennis
 skiing
 monopoly
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7. Meals
 breakfast
 lunch
 dinner
 supper
Exercise on Article:
1. What's ____longest river in _____world? Is it ____Amazon or ___Nile? I'm terrible at
____geography.
2. In 1824, Louis Braille developed ____system of writing for ____blind. Quickly,
___system, known as "Braille" after ___inventor, spread from ___France to dozens of
___countries.
3. "Travel Magazine" did ___extremely interesting article on ___world's most amazing
buildings. If I remember correctly, ___first building on ___list was ___Angkor Wat,
___beautiful temple in ___Cambodia. And ____second was ___Pyramid of Khufu in
___Egypt.
4. Because she did not speak ___English, Sayeeda had ___little chance of advancing her
career, so she applied for ___year-long English course at ___European University of
Bangladesh.
5. Julee always says that ___patience is ___virtue, but she is ___least patient person I've
ever met. Don't you think that's ___little ironic?
6. Kumiko discovered that there were quite ___few cultural differences between ___Danish
and ___Norwegians. She had always assumed ___Scandinavians were the same.
7. We spent the whole day today at ___Venice Beach, and then we had dinner at ___little
restaurant on ___Hollywood Boulevard. We decided to go to Disneyland ___tomorrow, and
____day after tomorrow, we are going to hop on ___ bus to Las Vegas.
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Sample question:
Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles:

Kumiko discovered that there were quite ___few cultural differences between
___Danish and ___Norwegians. She had always assumed ___Scandinavians were the
same.
Class Review
Subject Verb Agreement
Remember that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree on person and number
Examples
The elevator works very well.
Singular singular
The elevators work very well.
Plural plural
Subject separated from the verb
When taking the TOEFL, you must always check the subject and verb to be sure they are
agree. However, sometimes it is difficult to decide exactly what the subject is if the subject
and verb are separated
Example:
The boys in the room are studying
Plural Plural
Very often, if the subject and verb are separated, they will be separated by a prepositional
phrase. The prepositional phrase has no effect on the verb.
Subject + (prepositional phrase) + verb
The study of languages is very interesting.
Singular subject singular verb
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Several theories on this subject have been proposed.
Plural subject plural verb
The view of these disciplines varies from time to time
The danger of forest fire is not to be taken lightly
The effects of that crime are likely to be devastating.
The fear of rape and robbery has caused many people to free the cities.
The following expressions also have no effect on the verb
Together with Along with
Accompanied by As well as
The actress, along with her manager and some friends, is going to a party tonight.
Singular subject singular

verb
Mr. Robbins, accompanied by his wife and children, is arriving tonight.
Singular subject singular

verb
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Note: if the conjunction and is used instead of one of these phrases, the verb would then be
plural.
Example:
The actress and her manager are going to a party tonight.
EXERCISE 1
Choose the correct form of the verb in parentheses in the following sentences.
1. John, along with twenty friends, (is/are) planning a party.

2. The picture of soldiers (bring/brings) back many memories.
3. The quality of these recordings (is/are) not very good.
4. If the duties of these officer (isn‘t/aren‘t) reduce, there will not be enough time to
finish the project.
5. The effects of cigarette smoking (have/has) been proven to be extremely harmful.
Words that always take singular verbs and pronouns:
Some words are often confused by students as being plural. The following words must be
followed by singular verbs and pronouns in formal written English.
Any + Some + singular No + singular Every +

singular noun noun noun singular noun
Anybody Somebody Nobody Everybody Each
Anyone Someone No one Everyone Either *
Anything something nothing everything Neither *
*either and neither are singular if they are not used with or and nor.
Examples:
Everybody who has not purchased a ticket should be in this line.
Something was under the house.
If either of you takes a vacation now, we will not be able to finish the work
Anybody who has lost his ticket should report to the desk. (note: the singular pronoun)
No problem is harder to solve than this one
Nobody works harder than John does.
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None/no: none can take either a singular or plural verb depending on the noun which follows
it.
Non + of the + non-count noun + singular verb
Example:
None of the counterfeit money has been found
None + of the + plural count noun + plural verb
Example:
None of the students have finished the exam yet.
No can take either a singular or plural verb depending on the noun which follows it.
No + singular noun + singular verb
No + non-count noun + singular verb
Example:
No example is relevant to this case.
No + plural noun + plural verb
Example:
No examples are relevant to this case.
EITHER/NEITHER
When either and neither are followed by or and nor, the verb may be singular or plural
depending on whether the noun following or and nor is singular or plural. If or or nor appears
alone, the same rule applies. Study the following formulas.
Neither + noun + nor + plural noun + plural verb
Either + noun + or + plural noun + plural verb
Examples:
Neither John nor his friends are going to the beach today
Plural noun plural verb
Neither John nor his friends are going to the beach today
Plural noun plural verb
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Neither + noun + nor + singular noun + singular verb
Either + noun + or + singular noun + singular verb
Example:
Neither John nor Bill is going to the beach today.
Singular noun singular verb
Either John or Bill is going to the beach today.
Singular noun singular verb
Other examples:
Neither John nor Jane is going to Class today.
Singular singular
Neither Maria nor her friends are going to class today.
Plural plural
John or George is bringing the car
Singular singular
Neither Alecia nor Carmen has seen this movie before.
Singular singular
Neither the director nor the secretary wants to leave yet
singular singular
GERUND AS SUBJECTS
If a sentence begins with [verb + ing] (gerund), the verb must also be singular
Examples:
Knowing her has made him what he is.
Dieting is very popular today.
Not studying has caused him many problems.
Washing with a special cream is recommended for scalp infections.
Being cordial is one of his greatest assets.
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Writing many letters makes her happy.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
Also many words indicating a number of people or animals are singular. The following nouns
are usually singular. In some cases they are plural if the sentence indicates that the individual
members are acting separately.
Congress Jury Club
Organization Group Minority
Government Army Class
Family Majority * Crowd
Team committee Public
*Majority can be singular or plural. If it is alone it is usually singular. If it is followed by

plural noun, it is usually plural.
Example:
The Majority believes that we are in no danger
The Majority of the students believe him to be innocent
Examples of collective nouns:
The committee has met, and it has rejected the proposal
The family was elated by the news
The crowd was wild with excitement.
Congress has initiated a new plan to combat inflation.
The organization has lost many members this year.
Our team is going to win the game.
The following nouns are used to indicate groups of certain animals. It is not necessary to
learn the nouns; however, they mean the same as group and thus are considered singular.
Flock of birds, sheep School of fish
Herd of cattle Pride of lions
Pack of dogs
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The flock of birds is circling overhead.
The herd of cattle is breaking away.
A school of fish is being attacked by sharks.
Collective nouns indicating time, money, and measurement used as a whole are singular.
Twenty-five dollars is too much to pay for that shirt.
Fifty minutes isn‘t enough time to finish this test.
Twenty dollars is all I can afford to spend for that recorder.
Two miles is too much to run in one day.
A NUMBER OF/THE NUMBER OF
A number of + plural noun + Plural verb
The number of + plural noun + singular verb
Examples:
The number of students are going to the class picnic (a number of = many)
The number of days in a week is seven.
A number of the applicants have already been interviewed.
The number of residents who have been questioned on this matter is quite small.
NOUN THAT ARE ALWAYS PLURAL
The following nouns are always considered plural. They cannot be singular. In order to speak
of them as singular, one must say: ―a pair of‖
Scissors Glasses Jeans
Trousers Pants Tweezers
Shorts Pliers Tongs
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Examples:
The pants are in the drawer.
A pair of pants is in the drawer.
The pliers were on the table.
The pair of pliers was on the table.
These scissors are dull.
This pair of scissors is dull.
THERE IS/THERE ARE
There is
There was + Singular subject (or non-count)
There has been
There are
There were + Plural subject
There have been
Examples:
There is a storm approaching
Singular singular
There have been a number of telephone calls today.
Plural plural
There were too many people at the party.
Plural Plural
There has been an increase in the importation of foreign cars.
Plural plural
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There was water on the floor where he fell.
Singular non-count
EXERCISE 2
1. Neither Bill nor Mary (is/are) going to the play tonight.

2. Anything (is/are) better than going to another movie tonight.
3. Skating (is/are) becoming more popular every day.
4. A number of reporters (was/were) at the conference yesterday.
5. Everybody who (has/have) a fever must go home immediately.
6. Your glasses (was/were) on the bureau last night.
7. There (was/were) some people at the meeting last night.
8. The committee (has/have) already reached a decision.
9. A pair of jeans (was/were) in the washing machine this morning.
10. Each student (has/have) answered the first three questions.
Sample question
Write down the proper forms of verbs of the following sentences:
1. The effects of cigarette smoking (have/has) been proven to be extremely harmful.

2. The use of credit cards in place of cash (have/has) increased rapidly in recent years.
3. Advertisements on television (is/are) becoming more competitive than ever before.
4. Living expenses in this country, as well as in many others, (is/are) at an all-time high.
5. Mr. Jones, accompanied by several members of the committee, (have/has) proposed
some changes of the rules.
Sample comprehension 01
Exports
Exports are either raw materials or manufactured goods. Raw materials are products of land,
such as cotton, timber or rubber. Some raw materials such as iron ore come from mines.
These raw materials are often exported by the countries that produce them to other countries
where they are made into manufactured goods.
Some countries produce food for export, for example meat, sugar, or cereals such as wheat
and maize. These countries are agricultural countries. An agricultural country needs fertile
land and a good climate. A cold wet climate is not suitable for agriculture.
A country which produces manufactured goods is known as an industrialised country. An
industrialised country cannot always produce enough food for its own needs. In this case it
41
does not export foodstuffs. It has to import them. It relies on exports of manufactured
products and pay for imports with the money it earns from the exported goods.
Fill in the blanks with words from the passage:
i. A country's _______are the goods it sells to other countries.

ii. An _________ country produces food.
iii. _______ land is needed for growing food.
iv. Countries with a warm _________ can grow food more easily than cold countries.
v. Some ________ countries cannot grow all the food they need.
Are these statements right or wrong?
i. An industrialized country only exports foods.
ii. Cereals and meat are food stuffs.
iii. Industrialized countries rely on their exports for food.
iv. Countries earn money by their imports.
v. Cereals grow well on fertile lands.
. Answer the following questions:

i. What kinds of things are exported by an agricultural country?
ii. What kind of country imports raw materials?
iii. How does industrialised country pay for their imports?
iv. What are raw materials?
v. What kinds of stuff does an industrialised country export?
Sample comprehension 02
Plants cannot live without light and water. The problem of water is most severe in the desert.
Some desert plants send their roots deep underground, to tap the water stored below, but the
cactus usually has shallow roots. When it rains the cactus absorbs as much water as possible.
It stores this water in its fleshy stem. Plants usually lose a lot of water by evaporation through
their leaves. Therefore, the desert plants have tougher leaves than other plants. Sometimes
prickly spines cover these desert plants. Spines make the rate of evaporation slower.
Fill in the blanks with words from the passage:
Cacti grow in (a) _________. They have short and (b)__________ roots. The (c)__________ of
the cacti is used to store water. This is (d)_____________ water absorbed by the roots. They
also have prickly spines which make the rate of (e)__________ slower.
Are these statements right or wrong?
a. Plants need moonlight to grow.

b. Rain water is absorbed by desert plants.
c. It never rains in the desert.
d. Spines of desert plants help the process of evaporation.
e. Cacti are found under water.
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Answer the following questions:
a. What use are the spines on the leaves of a desert plant?

b. Where does cactus get water from?
c. What kind of land do cacti grow in?
d. How plants lose water?
e. If a plant sends its root deep into the ground, why does it do so?
Exercise on comprehension from the book Exercises in Reading Comprehension by

E.L.Tibbitts
Letter to the Editor:
A letter to the editor of an English daily about growing incidents of ragging in educational
institutions.
Sample letter
[Today's Date]
[Name of Newspaper]
[Attn: Letters to the Editor]
[Mailing Address]
[City, State, ZIP Code]
Dear Editor:
I crave the hospitality of your esteemed daily to publicize my grave concern about the
growing incidents of ragging in educational institutions.
Growing incidents of ragging in educational institutions
Ragging has now become a nightmare to the freshers of higher studies. Guardians are also
left to pass sleepless nights in apprehension. Some students are even compelled either to give
up their studies or lose mental balance or commit suicide. Ragging is sure to equal medieval
barbarism. Exemplary punishment should be given to the offenders and their mentors. The
only way to deal with the problem is de-recognition of the institutions where ragging takes
43
place. As such an action is bound to affect the institution, its faculty and the students, senior
students are sure to come to the help of the victims of ragging.
A powerful editorial from your mighty pen will, I think, go a long way in solving the problem
to a great degree.
Thanking you
Sincerely,
[your name]
[your institution‘s name]
[your address]
[your phone number]
[your e-mail address]
Sample question
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper on:
 Reckless driving in the city

 Taking bribe
 Traffic jam
 The falling standard of English among the students today
 Lack of medical facilities in hospitals
Foundation English (Module09, Lecture 21 & 22)
There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn
prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and
learning useful phrases off by heart.
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in
English:
Prepositions – Time
English Usage Example
 on  days of the week  on Monday
 months / seasons
 in August / in winter
 time of day
 in the morning
 in  year
 in 2006
 after a certain period of
 in an hour
time (when?)
44
 for night
 at night
 for weekend
 at  at the weekend
 a certain point of time
 at half past nine
(when?)
 from a certain point of time

 since  since 1980
(past till now)
 over a certain period of

 for  for 2 years
time (past till now)
 ago  a certain time in the past  2 years ago
 earlier than a certain point

 before  before 2004
of time
 to  telling the time  ten to six (5:50)
 past  telling the time  ten past six (6:10)
 to / till /  marking the beginning and

 from Monday to/till Friday
until end of a period of time
 in the sense of how long  He is on holiday until

 till / until
something is going to last Friday.
 I will be back by 6 o‘clock.

 in the sense of at the latest
 by  By 11 o'clock, I had read
 up to a certain time
five pages.
Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

 room, building, street,

 in the kitchen, in London
town, country
 in the book
 in  book, paper etc.
 in the car, in a taxi
 car, taxi
 in the picture, in the world
 picture, world
 meaning next to, by an  at the door, at the station

object  at the table
 at  for table  at a concert, at the party
 for events  at the cinema, at school, at
 place where you are to do work
something typical (watch a
45
film, study, work)
 attached  the picture on the wall

 for a place with a river  London lies on the
 being on a surface Thames.
 for a certain side (left,  on the table
 on
right)  on the left
 for a floor in a house  on the first floor
 for public transport  on the bus, on a plane
 for television, radio  on TV, on the radio
 by, next to,  left or right of somebody  Jane is standing by / next

beside or something to / beside the car.
 on the ground, lower than

 under (or covered by) something  the bag is under the table
else
 lower than something else  the fish are below the

 below
but above ground surface
 covered by something else

 put a jacket over your shirt
 meaning more than
 over 16 years of age
 over  getting to the other side
 walk over the bridge
(also across)
 climb over the wall
 overcoming an obstacle
 higher than something

 above else, but not directly over  a path above the lake
it
 getting to the other side

 walk across the bridge
 across (also over)
 swim across the lake
 getting to the other side
 something with limits on

 through  drive through the tunnel
top, bottom and the sides
 movement to person or
building  go to the cinema
 to  movement to a place or  go to London / Ireland
country  go to bed
 for bed
 go into the kitchen / the

 into  enter a room / a building
house
46
 movement in the direction

 go 5 steps towards the
 towards of something (but not
house
directly to it)
 movement to the top of

 onto  jump onto the table
something
 from  in the sense of where from  a flower from the garden
Other important Prepositions

 from  who gave it  a present from Jane
 who/what does it belong to  a page of the book

 of
 what does it show  the picture of a palace
 by  who made it  a book by Mark Twain
 walking or riding on
horseback  on foot, on horseback
 on
 entering a public transport  get on the bus
vehicle
 in  entering a car / Taxi  get in the car
 leaving a public transport

 off  get off the train
vehicle
 out of  leaving a car / Taxi  get out of the taxi
 rise or fall of something  prices have risen by 10

 by  travelling (other than percent
walking or horseriding)  by car, by bus
 at  for age  she learned Russian at 45
 for topics, meaning what

 about  we were talking about you
about
47
Exercises on Prepositions :
1. Mr. Martin is responsible ______ recruitment
2. I'm sorry but I don't understand the reason ________ the increase ________
price.
3. In this company, salaries depend ________ the level of responsibility.
4. You have to pay ________ the tickets the day you order them.
5. Our new Chairman reminds me ________ my old history teacher.
6. Do you think the report could be translated _______ English for the meeting
tomorrow?
7. Thank you for offering to help. It's very kind ________ you.
8. Look ________ the woman ________ the picture. Who is she?
9. The manager didn't take part ________ the discussion. He didn't want to
intervene.
10. It's no use taking him to the Louvre. He isn't interested _______ art.
11. The food in Japan is very different ________ European food.
12. I don't agree ________ you. ________ my opinion you're wrong.
13. John was late for the meeting as usual. That's typical ________ him.
14. We should invite Pete to the party. He's very good ________ telling jokes.
15. The car crashed ________ a fence ________ the other side of the road.
1. I asked my neighbour to look _________ my cat when I went to London.
2. All books are provided ______ the school. Pupils don't have to pay _____
them.
3. The meeting is _____ September 15th _____ 9 a.m.
4. If you're interested ______ working overseas, you should apply ______ that
job
5. London is a big city, but it's very different ________New York.
6. My boss got angry ______ me when I arrived late _____ the second time.
48
7. I'm not familiar _______ this machine. Could you explain ______ me how
it works?
8. She wrote the text ______ Japanese, then translated it ______ English.
9. He left the house, got ______ his car and drove ______.
10. Due to bad weather conditions, the plane couldn't take _______ ______
time.
11. She was embarrassed ______ the way people were staring _____ her.
12. They apologized ______ the host ______ arriving late
13. The authorities talked ____ the need ____ better education in developing
countries.
14. ______ my opinion, you should wait _____ confirmation before making a
decision.
15. Students often have a problem ______ English prepositions.
 Class test on the chosen topics

 Review of the whole syllabus and provide necessary feedback as required.
49
Course outcome
 This course helps to improve student‘s basic skills in English.

 This course deals with reading and writing skills as well as grammar so that students
can express themselves in idiomatic way in English environment.
 The course offers ample discussion on different aspects of English so that the young
learners can get a definite view about it.
References
1. English Writing Skills by Prof Ataul Haque, Prof Jahurul Islam & Dr Binoy Barman
2. Exercise in Reading Comprehention by E.L. Tibbitits
3. Cliff‘s TOEFL by Micheal A Pyle & Mary, Ellen Munoz Page
4. Online sources
Prepared By
_____________________ _______________________
Nurjahan Jahan Esha Professor Md. Nurul Huda
Lecturer Chairman
European University of Bangladesh Department of English
European University of Bangladesh
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Department of English

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Full Module Specification

Method of Evaluation Attendance =20

Week Module Lecture Topics/Module/Chapter

1 Module 1 1&2  Right form of verbs

2 Module 2 3&4  Transformation of sentences

3 Module 2 5&6  Transformation of sentences

5 Module 4 9&10  Amplification writing

6 Module 5 11&12  Articles

7 Module 6 13&14  Subject verb agreement

8 Module 7 15&16  Comprehension practice

9 Module 7 17&18  Comprehension Practice

10 Module 8 19&20  Letter writing

11 Module 9 21&22  Preposition and its uses

Module 10 23&24  Class test

Right form of verbs (Tense):

Write down the appropriate form of verbs of the following sentences:

Foundation English (Module 02, Lecture 03 to 06)

Transform means changing sentence without changing its basic means.

Its transformation will be ―Man is not immortal‖

The basic structure of negative and Interrogative sentence.

a) Only god can help us

-None but God can help us.

b) King can help us alone.

-None but king can help us.

c) Only he can do it.

-None but he can do it.

a) Only sweets can stop the boy.

-Nothing but sweets can stop the boy.

b) This letter can help us alone.

-Nothing but this letter can help us.

c) Only pencil nib has carbon.

-Nothing but pencil nib has carbon.

a) Della always loved Jim.

-Della never hated Jim.

b) We should always speak the truth.

-We should never tell a lie.

c) He always gets up late.

-He never gets up early.

-I cannot but go there.

-I cannot help going there

b) You must tell the truth.

-You cannot but tell the truth.

-You cannot help telling the truth.

But if it is for past tense, then structure.......................

a) As soon as I see him, I will tell him the fact.

b) As soon as I reach home, I shall meet my mother.

-No sooner do I reach him than I shall meet my mother.

c) As soon as she heard the news, she became senseless.

d) As soon as the teacher came, the students stood up.

a) He ate many apples.

-He didn‘t eat a few apples.

b) He takes a few loaves for breakfast.

-He doesn‘t take many loaves for breakfast.

c) They have many cows.

-They don‘t have a few cows.

Rule 8: In a negative for sometimes, not always is used. i.e

a) He sometimes comes here.

-He doesn‘t always come here.

Rule 9: Superlative degree should positive degree to make a negative........such as

a) Dhaka is the biggest city in Bangladesh.

b) She is the most beautiful girl in the class.